A loud explosion rocked Circular Road, Dimapur Monday evening and the sound could be heard around the locality after army disposed off an unclaimed briefcase.
The abandoned suitcase placed at a spot between M/s Khemani Medical Store and M/s Jaiswal Fruit Shop located at adjacent buildings at Circular Road created panic throughout Dimapur town, forcing shops along Circular road to down shutters.
Speaking to Nagaland Post, the owner of the Medical store said on noticing the dark greyish-colored briefcase lying abandoned at around 2.30 p.m. near the drainage, he immediately informed police.
Personnel of the 164 (TA) Naga regiment on ROP duty were also informed and after sometime, police along with TA jawans arrived at the site. Army pressed sniffer dogs and Deep Search Metal Detector (DSMD) into service. Army confirmed presence of “something inside” the briefcase. However, police bomb disposal squad claimed that their team did not detect any kind of explosive material inside the briefcase. To add to the panic, the owner of a Bolero, parked nearby, informed police of two unclaimed bags but it later turned out they contained a pillow, jacket and some clothes.
Personnel of the 24 AR, police and Army then cordoned off the area prior to disposal of the briefcase.
The 261 Army bomb disposal squad from Rangapahar with bomb experts using Explosive Vapor Detector (EVD) device detected some suspicious item inside the briefcase. Army said as per standard procedure, a sniffer dog was pressed into service and it confirmed presence of a suspicious item inside the briefcase.
The bomb squad then covered the briefcase with low intensity explosives which was detonated at around 6.35 p.m. Later, the Army bomb squad collected the debris for further investigation.
Meanwhile, speaking Nagaland Post over phone, K. Khalo, SDPO Niuland said that army suspected that the briefcase contained an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) inside but were not able to establish it beyond doubt and therefore, took no chance and disposed it by destroying it with low intensity explosive. He confirmed that as far as Nagaland police bomb squad reports, nothing was found inside the briefcase.
Khalo also said it was suspected that miscreants may have stolen the briefcase and after looting the contents, threw it to the drainage, between the two buildings where it was later discovered.
He also disclosed that he along with some police personnel present at the site signed a ‘No damaged certificate’ of public property after the explosion and handed over to the Army.
Meanwhile Z. Mero SP Dimapur also ruled out the presence of explosive item inside briefcase. He said the army was called in for security reasons.
Police present at the site also claimed that police bomb disposal squad had earlier ruled out the presence of any explosive material inside the briefcase though the Army had only followed its standard procedure.